Capital band Jakil set for London after big farewell gig

Published on Thursday 2 September 2010 11:42

THE last time Jakil headed south they returned to regale us with tales of aftershow shenanigans, like how they took to their heels one night after rubbing up a transvestite the wrong way in a dingy nightspot they were directed to by a lap dancer they met earlier in a kebab shop.

&#149 Local lads Jakil are leaving on a jet plane, and no one knows when they will be back again

Considering they'd only been on a tour of the North East of England, the mind boggles about what's in store for the lads when they make a permanent move to the bright lights of London this month.

Still, the decision to move to the Big Smoke does seem like the right one for a young band who have more than paid their dues on the Capital's music scene over the past few years.

Jakil, who have shared stages with the likes of James Morrison and the Zutons in recent years, have already won several industry awards, including being named Radio Forth's One To Watch a couple of years ago. Their first single was one of the bestsellers on iTunes for an unsigned band, and the influential BBC Radio 1 and Radio Scotland DJ Vic Galloway has predicted they will go on to sell millions of records.

They have a massive fanbase in Edinburgh, but now they want to put themselves to the test and go where all the top bands live and work - London.

"We made the decision a while back that we'd head down there to try our luck this year," says guitarist Liam Narrie, whose bandmates are Jamie Robertson, Mikay McTernan, Kieran O'Brien and Tomoya Hoshino, all of them bar the latter former pupils of Balerno High School. "We first discussed it in January or February and now that it's become a reality it's an exciting time for us.

"It was quite daunting at first, but now it's something we're all looking forward to," he continues. "We've gigged down in London before, so we know what to expect. We know the scene is buzzing down there, we know the level of the bands is higher there than anywhere else, but we're confident enough in our own ability to believe that we'll do OK.

"We're going to first try and establish ourselves among the bands down there, and then we'll probably do a similar thing to what we've been doing in Edinburgh recently, targeting the schools and getting in to play live shows for the kids," he adds.

Citing the likes of Maroon 5, Coldplay, Jamiroquai and the American singer John Mayer among their influences, Jakil write all their own songs and have developed a distinctive rock-pop sound that seems ripe for radio airplay.

As you'd expect, winning the Radio Forth award was a huge boost to the band, and frontman O'Brien says they have come on leaps and bounds since then. "Since we won the award, you could say there are different stages with which we progressed," he says. "In terms of a physical presence we've come on a lot in the last few years, and feel we've really improved on our sound.

"We went through phases in the past - we had this rock alter ego, a pop personality, and we had a bit of funk in there too. But now we channel all our energy into the pop scene," he continues.

"Right now, we're the right age, we're going through the right times in which pop songs are made, and we've found that our fanbase is always going to be at least four years younger that us. We've embraced that rather than trying to get away from it. Playing to over-14s seems to be what we're strongest at. Every gig we have in Edinburgh is heaving, and that's just amazing."

Inevitably though, for Jakil to breakthrough into the mainstream in a bigger way they will have to leave their hometown behind, hence the move to London. Before they do so, however, the boys have the small matter of farewell gig to play tonight at Liquid Room.

"We'd love to see everyone at the gig who's supported us over the years," says Narrie. "Old faces, any faces that have ever been to one of our gigs in the past, those who have bought one of our songs, or simply anyone who has ever taken an interest in the band. This is going to be a huge night for us, a great chance to say goodbye to friends and fans, and we really can't wait for it. We'll be giving it everything that we've got."

As well as all the old favourite Jakil songs, the band will showcase their brand new EP, entitled More Or Less. "This will be the first time people have the chance to buy the EP, so hopefully one or two will snap it up after they've heard it live," says Narrie. "The songs are a lot more edgy than in the past, but they're catchy... very Jakil-like."

Jakil, Liquid Room, Victoria Street, tonight, 7pm, 6, 0131-225 2564